Latch release



Sept. 24, 1963 1. JACOBS LATCH RELEASE Filed May 15. 1961 INVENTOR. Isaac zfacas' W /\1 W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,104,904 LATCH RELEASE Isaac Jacobs, East Paterson, N.J., assignor of one-half to Leonard Jacobs, Saddle Brook, NJ. Filed May 15, 1961, er. No. 117,489 3 Claims. (Cl. 292-254) :My invention relates generally to a latch release and specifically to a latch release attached to a striker plate.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a latch release permanently attached to a striker plate, so that when a latch breaks, the door may nevertheless be opened without removing the hinge pins from the door hinges, or damaging the door frame.

Another object of my invention is to provide a latch release which is only operable from inside a locked door.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a latch release which is simple in form, relatively inexpensive and durable.

The above objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be achieved by the latch release shown by way of illustrations in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation with a portion of the striker plate exploded away;

FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of a striker plate alone;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a lever;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a pivot pin;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a spring;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a release pin;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of a door and door frame; to the latter, a striker plate with a latch release has been attached; and

FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of the assemblage with with the latch release shown in its normal position in solid lines, and moved partially toward releasing position in dotted lines.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, my latch release is provided with a striker plate 11 having a generally straight rear portion and an arcuate front portion 12. Either in the straight portion of the striker plate 11 or in the lip portion 12, a hole 13 is provided for the entry of a release pin 14. The exact position of this hole will be set forth later. On the rear of the striker plate 11, there are mounted a pair of supports 15, which are generally L-shaped and attached in opposition to each other as shown in FIGURE 2. The ends 16 of the supports extend in general perpendicularity to the rear of the striker plate 11, and are provided with holes "17, 1-7 for a tubular pivot pin 18. A pivoted lever 19 is interposed between the perpendicular portions 16, 16 of the supports 15, 15. The pivoted lever is provided with a generally straight central portion 20, an arcuate front portion 21 at one end and an arcuate opposite portion 22 at the other end. A spring 23 is provided. The lower end 24 of the spring 23 is bent perpendicular to the central portion 25, and has a bent end portion 26. This bent end portion 26 engages the lower support 15. Before the upper end of the spring 23 is bent, it is inserted through the pivot pin 18, and then the top portion is bent over in a horizontal leg 27 and a downturned vertical leg 28. The downturned portion 28 engages the pivoted lever 19 and normally maintains it in the position shown by the solid lines in FIGURE 8.

Patented Sept. 24, 1963 When a latch 29 breaks so that it cannot be withdrawn by a door knob or key in the look, a release pin 14 is inserted in the hole 13 to engage the front-end portion 21 of the pivoted lever 19. Pressure then pivots the lever 19 causing the arcuate rear end-portion 22 to engage the latch 29. The rear end-portion 22 is dimensioned so that it may move through the latch slot 30 in the striker plate 11. The pivot movement of the rear end-portion 22 engaging the latch 29 moves that latch out of the slot 30, thereby permitting the door to be opened from the inside, in spite of the fact that the shaft of the latch 29 had broken and could not be moved by a door knob or key in the lock, or by other ordinary manipulation of the lock.

Thus, a door may be opened without removing the hinge pins of the hinges of the door. Even this step is sometimes diflicult and after it has been achieved, the door may be difiicult to remove. A striker plate provided with my latch release permits the broken latch to be disengaged from the striker plate and the door opened without difiiculty.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitute-s which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitution may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein.

What is claimed:

1. A latch release comprising,

a striker plate with a release-pin hole,

a generally flat rear-portion of the striker plate having a latch-slot,

a generally arcuate front-portion on the striker plate,

a pair of Lsshaped pivot-supports attached to the back of the stniker plate between the release-pin hole and latchaslot,

a tubular pivot-pin mounted on the pivot-supports,

a lever pivotally mounted on the pivot-pin,

a spring passing through the pivot-pin, one end of the spring engaged with the striker plate and the other end with the lever,

a generally arcuate front-end on the lever normally urged by the spring into conforming contact with the back of the arcuate front-portion of the striker plate,

a generally arcuate rear-end on the lever pivotable into the latch slot when the front-end on the lever is pressed by a release pin in the release-pin hole, and the striker-plate, when mounted on a door-jamb, shields the lever from access except through the release pin hole.

2. A latch release comprising,

a slotted striker plate with a release-pin hole,

a lever pivotably mounted on the striker plate,

a front-end portion of the lever dimensioned to be reached by a release pin inserted in the release-pin hole,

a rear-end portion of the lever movable into the slot in the striker plate, and the striker-plate, when mount- 3 1 4 ed on a door-jamb, shields the lever from acoem lever toward the striker plate, and the striker-plate, except through the release pin hole. when mounted on a door-jamb, shields the lever from 3. A latch release comprising, access except through the release pin hole. a slotted striker plate with a release-pin hole, t a lever pivotably mounted on the striker plate, 5 References Clteil 111 thfi file of this P a front-end portion of the lever di rnensioned to be UNITED STATES PATENTS iziz by a release P Inserted 1n the -P 2,186,903 Gleason Jam 9 1940 a rear-end portion of the lever movable into the slot OREIGN PATENTS in the striker plate, 10 874,594 France May 11, 1942 a spring normally urging the front end portion of the 167,867 Germany Feb. 19, 1906 

2. A LATCH RELEASE COMPRISING, A SLOTTED STRIKER PLATE WITH A RELEASE-PIN HOLE, A LEVER PIVOTABLY MOUNTED ON THE STRIKER PLATE, A FRONT-END PORTION OF THE LEVER DIMENSIONED TO BE REACHED BY A RELEASE PIN INSERTED IN THE RELEASE-PIN HOLE, A REAR-END PORTION OF THE LEVER MOVABLE INTO THE SLOT IN THE STRIKER PLATE, AND THE STRIKER-PLATE, WHEN MOUNTED ON A DOOR-JAMB, SHIELDS THE LEVER FROM ACCESS EXCEPT THROUGH THE RELEASE PIN HOLE. 